In the manufacture of high strength closed cell coreboard such as 3C™ board by Corcel it is necessary to alter the orientation of laminated strips of board from an upright orientation to a flat/horizontal orientation.
The strips are formed by cutting laminated corrugated board (formed from around usually 3-5 layers of single face or double face corrugated paperboard) into strips having a width of generally around 5-10 mm. The strips once cut have an upright orientation (wherein the flute channels extend horizontally) however the strips need to be tipped over in order to have a horizontal (flat) orientation (wherein the flute channels extend vertically) so the strips can form the core of the closed cell coreboard.
Devices for tipping the laminated strips are known—refer for example US 2009/0145556. This specification describes a turning roller wherein each strip to be reoriented becomes located within an accommodation means. Rotation of the roller alters the orientation of the strip and at which point the strip is then removed from the roller by a stripping plate. However, this method of reorienting or turning the strips is a relatively slow process. Each strip needs to become located on the turning roller which in turn needs to rotate a certain amount before the next strip can be picked up by the roller for reorientation. Thus, the speed of delivery of the strips to the turning roller needs to be controlled. If the strips are delivered too fast strips downstream will push on adjacent upstream strips and may be forced to ride up over their upstream counterpart. A further disadvantage with this type of tipping station is that the strips can get crushed by the roller if they have thickness of around 5.8 mm or less.
It is desirable to address the foregoing problems or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.
Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only.
Throughout this specification, the word “comprise”, or variations thereof such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.
All references, including any patents or patent applications cited in this specification are hereby incorporated by reference. No admission is made that any reference constitutes prior art. The discussion of the references states what their authors assert, and the applicants reserve the right to challenge the accuracy and pertinency of the cited documents. It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents form part of the common general knowledge in the art, in New Zealand or in any other country.